Poultry crate

ABSTRACT

A collapsible poultry crate comprising a base defining a peripheral edge; a plurality of side walls, each side wall being mounted on the base along a respective portion of the peripheral edge for pivoting movement relative to the base each side wall pivoting between a closed position and an open position; each side wall having a respective top surface, two or more tabs extending from a respective top surface of the side walls; and a plurality of end walls, each end wall being mounted on the base along a respective portion of the peripheral edge for pivoting movement relative to the base; the base having a width and a length such that M poultry crates arranged in a predetermined pattern exhibit a footprint substantially the same as the footprint of N meat crates disposed in a predetermined pattern.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No.61/493,544, filed Jun. 6, 2011, and is incorporated herein as set forthin its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a poultry crate, and more particularly, toa poultry crate capable of reuse and recycling and which is capable ofbeing stacked in a stable manner with crates adapted for other types ofproducts.

When prepared for shipping, poultry is placed in a crate, flash frozenand then palletized directly at the processing plant and shipped to adistribution center for distribution to end user retail outlets.

The prior art poultry crates are made from cardboard and chicken wirewith a styrofoam or plastic tray within the crate to act as a liner andto catch any drippings to prevent passage of salmonella. These cratesare satisfactory, however, they suffer from the disadvantage thatbecause they are made of cardboard they are subject to wear and tear.Furthermore, they do not have sufficient structural integrity to allowstacking of heavier crates thereupon such as a meat crate or severallayers of poultry crates. Furthermore, they are not collapsible noreasily sterilized to be sent back to the distribution center for reuse.For these reasons, they are a single use crate.

It is also known in the art to utilize “bread crates”. These crates areformed of plastic and therefore, may be sterilized and recycled,however, they are not collapsible and therefore, shipping the cratesback to a point of origin, results in the shipping of significant amountof dead air as stacks of crates are shipped around increasing the costs.As a result, these poultry crates are only used internally prior torepackaging in the cardboard crates.

Furthermore, at the distribution center, pallets of crates are createdfor shipping. The pallets are of standard dimensions to enable shipping.Because of the configuration and the inability for the prior art poultrycrates to support other types of pallet crates such as meat cratesthereupon, when creating pallets at the distribution center, they areformed entirely of poultry crates, or entirely of meat crates. However,this inflexibility may result in two short pallets being sent to thesame end user increasing cost, increasing the carbon footprint forshipping because the footprint of two pallets are required where one maydo. To get around this, it is known to build a first layer of meatcrates, build a planar floor on the meat crate layer, and then stack thecorrugated crates thereon. However, this is an unstable construction anddoes not solve the problems associated with using corrugated crates.Also, because of salmonella, they don't stack plastic meat crates oncorrugated poultry crates.

Accordingly, a poultry crate which overcomes the shortcomings of theprior art is provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A poultry crate has a base, a first side wall pivotally connected to thebase, a second side wall pivotally connected to the base, a first endwall pivotally connected to the base, and a fourth end wall pivotallyconnected to the base, each of the first end wall, second end wall,first side wall and second side wall are moveable between a first openposition and a second collapsed position. Each side wall has a center, afirst edge and a second edge. A rib structure extends along a height ofthe side wall at a position between the center and the first edge. Asecond rib structure extends along a height of the side wall between thecenter and the second edge. Each side wall has a top surface, a firsttab is disposed on a top surface of the wall between the rib structureand the first edge and a second tab is disposed on a top surface of eachside wall between a second rib structure and the second edge.

In a preferred embodiment, the wall has a width, the width of the detentis less than the width of the wall. The base is formed with a bottomsurface, the bottom surface being formed with a catch along an edge ofthe base adapted to receive the first and second detent.

In a preferred embodiment, the length and width of the poultry crate aresuch that when positioned so that a first poultry crate has a first sidewall adjacent a first side wall of a second crate and a second side walladjacent a first side wall of a third crate, each side wall of eachcrate is coterminous. A fourth crate is disposed adjacent the end wallsof the first crate and the second crate, the end wall of the fourthcrate being coterminous with the second side wall of the second crateand a fifth crate having an end wall adjacent and coterminous with asecond end wall of the fourth crate. A layer formed by the first,second, third and fourth crates has a footprint substantially equal tothe footprint of a layer formed by first meat crate having a first sidewall and a first end wall and second meat crate having a first side walland a first end wall, the first end wall of the first meat crate beingadjacent the first end wall of the second meat crate and coterminoustherewith. The second layer also includes a third meat crate disposedadjacent the first meat crate; the third meat crate having a first sidewall and a first end wall, the first end wall of the first meat cratebeing adjacent the first end wall of the third meat crate andcoterminous therewith. A fourth meat crate has an end wall and a firstside wall. The end wall of the fourth meat crate is adjacent to andcoterminous with the end wall of the third meat crate, and the side wallof the fourth meat crate is adjacent and coterminous with the side wallof the second meat crate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying drawings, where like numerals were used to note likeelements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a poultry crate constructed inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a poultry crate constructed inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cut away view of a cross stacked pallet of poultry crateserected in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a first stacked poultry crate on a secondpoultry crate in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a pallet of a first row of crates eachcrate having a first dimension and a second row of crates, each crate inthe second row of crates having a second dimension in accordance withthe invention shown in phantom;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the interaction between a lowerrow of poultry crates and an upper row of meat crates; and

FIG. 7 is an end view of the engagement of one side of the top row of apallet constructed in accordance with FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention is directed to a poultry crate, generally indicated as 10constructed in a way which enables the poultry crate to form a layer ona pallet capable of supporting a layer of a different number of adifferent type of crate, preferably a meat crate, thereon.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein a poultry crate,generally indicated as 10 and constructed in accordance with theinvention is provided. Poultry crate 10 is a collapsible crate as knownin the art and is used to store or transport frozen poultry. Crate 10includes a base 14, side walls 34, 36 and end walls 44, 46. Each ofthese walls has a handle opening 45 so that the container can be easilycarried. The base 14 includes a bottom panel 15 that forms a lowersupport surface for carrying and supporting the goods positioned withincontainer 10. Like the overall shape of the container 10, bottom panel15 is generally rectangular in shape and as shown in FIG. 2, base 14 hastwo opposed side edges 16, 18 and two opposed end edges 20, 22. Edges 16and 18 are formed with elongated pockets 19 formed along edges 16, 18.Similarly, pockets 21 are formed along respective edges 20, 22.

As known in the art, end walls 44, 46 are pivotally affixed to base 14at a respective edge 20, 22 so as to be moveable between a closedposition and open position. Similarly, side walls 34, 36 are rotatablyaffixed to a respective edge 16, 18 and are moveable between an open andclosed position. Closed position means a position in which the wallscollapse towards base 14 and open position is when the wall is uprightto create the crate. Each wall may be affixed to base 14 by a hingesystem as known in the art.

As best seen in FIG. 1 each side wall 34, 36 has a U-shaped horizontalcross section that is formed by a main end wall portion 50 and twoshorter flange portions 52 extending from end wall portion 50 to form acorner as seen in FIG. 1. In a preferred embodiment, these wall portionsare formed together as a single unit. Flange portions 52 extend fromeither side of main end wall portion 50. Additionally, the flangeportions 52 are oriented orthogonally to main end wall portion 50 andwhen crate 10 is assembled (all walls in the open position) they extendin the direction of end walls 44, 46 respectively.

As known in the art, each corner of container 10 is provided with acammed latch 242 to releasably maintain the crate in an uprightposition. Each latch 242 is operatively mounted proximate the ends of34, 36 near flanges 52 as seen in FIG. 1.

As shown in the various figures, the top surfaces 43 of end walls 44, 46are provided with a plurality of stacking tabs 61 that extend upwardlyin a direction away from base 14. Each top surface 43 of respective endwalls 44, 46 has a width. The respective width of each tab 61 is lessthan the width of respective side walls 44, 46. Similarly, each end wall34, 36 includes upright tabs 58 extending from a top surface 53. Topsurface 53 has a first width and each of tabs 58 has a respective widthless than the width of top surface 53.

Each side wall 34, 36 is provided with a pair of reinforcing ribstructures 30, 32 disposed on either side of a center line 55 and handleopening 45. Each corner of side wall 35 is provided with respective ribstructures 37, 38. Rib structures 30, 32, 37 and 38 extend along theheight of the respective side walls 34, 36 substantially from base 14 totop surface 53. Rib structures 37, 38 are, in one nonlimitingembodiment, formed as spaced parallel longitudinal rib pairs 37 a, 37 band 38 a, 38 b respectively. A plurality of horizontal ribs 39 extendbetween ribs 37 a, 37 b and horizontal ribs 41 extend between respectivespaced ribs 38 a, 38 b making up rib structure 38. Tabs 58 are disposedalong upper surface 53 at a position between rib structures 32 and 38 inthe one instance and between rib structures 30 and 37 in the otherinstance and closer to a respective projection 52 than center line 53 ina preferred nonlimiting embodiment.

A support structure 62 extends from rib 37 a to rib 38 b substantiallyadjacent top surface 53 of each side wall 34, 36. Furthermore, each tab58, 61 is tapered. Support structure 62 may be a lattice as shown inFIG. 1, or a horizontal rib, vertical rib or a combination thereof nearthe top of each side wall.

There are certain industry dictated requirements for the size of apoultry crate, among other things, the dimensions of a foam drainagetray used within container 10 to trap drippings and prevent the spreadof salmonella. However, the prior art has not solved the problemsdiscussed above a result of the standards. As will be discussed below,one aspect of the invention is the ability of a layer of poultry cratesconstructed in accordance with the invention, including industrystandards to support a layer of meat crates.

In accordance with the invention, the exterior dimensions of the crateare such that when arranged, as N crates as will be described below,they support N−1 crates of another standard size, namely meat crates:The thickness of each end wall 44, 46 is about 0.525 inches and thethickness of each side wall is about 0.500 inches (width). However, theinterior dimensions remain about 22.825 inches ±0.25 inches by 14.878inches ±0.25 inches for the base and a height of 5.906 inches ±0.25inches as required by industry standard. The footprint of each poultrycrate is different than the footprint of each meat crate.

In the invention, the tabs have been removed from the corners totransfer the load of stacked crates to a position between rib structures30, 37 and 32, 38. The tabs are also away from the ribs although closerto the corner than the center line 53 discussed above. The ribstructures 30, 32 are disposed at or about ⅓ of the length of a sidewall 34, 36 from the respective corners.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 3 and 4 in which features of the poultrycrate 10 are demonstrated in connection with the formation of a pallet(stacked crates) of same type. It is known in the art to stack or“palletize” a number of items for shipping. It is known in the art topalletize collapsible plastic crates to ship produce, meat or the like.However, in the first instance during transit, stacked items are proneto slippage, shifting and even toppling and it is not known to mixcrates of different dimensions in a single pallet.

In accordance with the invention, a pallet 100 includes a first layer102 of two or more poultry crates 10 arranged in a pattern. A secondlayer 104 of two or more poultry crates 10 are disposed upon layer 102and supported thereby. Poultry crates 10 of layer 104 may be arranged ina pattern which is either identical to or different from the poultrycrates 10 in layer 102 of pallet 100.

Like numerals are utilized to indicate like structures. In the patternof layer 102, a five container pattern is provided in which a firstpoultry crate 10 a is provided. First poultry crate 10 a, as discussedabove has opposed end walls 44, 46 at opposite edges of floor 15 and aside wall 36 extending from wall 15. Second poultry crate 10 b hasidentical structure and the two are positioned end wall to end wall suchthat end wall 44 of poultry crate 10 b is in substantially coterminousfacing relationship with end wall 46 of first poultry crate 10 a.

A third poultry crate 10 c is disposed in layer 102 and in orientationsuch that side wall 36 is substantially coplanar with end wall 44 offirst poultry container 10 a and end wall 44 (not shown) of crate 10 cabuts against side wall 36 of first crate 10 a. Once given this initialpattern of row 102, and as can be readily discerned from rows 104 or106, a fourth and fifth poultry crate are disposed in end row 102 suchthat the side wall of the fourth crate is adjacent and coterminous withside wall 34 of crate 10 c of that row and an end wall of the fourthcrate abuts and is adjacent to side walls 36 of both crate 10 a and 10b. A fifth crate is disposed in row 102 such that a side wall of thefifth crate is adjacent and coterminous with a second side wall of thefourth crate and an end wall of the fifth crate abuts side wall 36 ofcrate 10 b.

Row 104 of pallet 100 is “cross stacked” relative to row 102 meaningthat in this non-limiting embodiment, the pattern has rotated 180°relative to row 102. Accordingly, crates 10 c, 10 d, 10 e are disposedsuch that an end wall 34 of crate 10 e of layer 104 is substantiallycoplanar with side wall 36 of crate 10 c of row 102 and end wall 44 ofcrate 10 a of layer 102. Adjacent end walls 34, 36 of crates 10 c, 10 d,and 10 e abut each other and side wall 36 of crate 10 c of layer 10 aresubstantially coplanar with end wall 46 of crate 10 b.

Third layer 106 has the same orientation and stacking pattern as layer104 so that like numbered crates are supported by like numbered crates,i.e. crate 10 c lies of row 106 lies over crate 10 c of row 104.

In this embodiment, an end wall of a poultry crate supports an end wallof a higher row. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, when stacked adjacent to eachother and coterminous with each other, when end walls are placedadjacent to end walls, tabs 61 are adjacent each other as a result ofsymmetry of construction. This is true whether wall 44 abuts wall 46 orwall 44 abuts wall 44. Similarly, when side walls 34, 36 or side wallpairs 34, 34 or 36, 36 of adjacent crates are arranged adjacent eachother and coterminous with each other, tabs 58 align with each other.When cross stacked, or even when not, respective tabs 58, 61, as aresult of their having a width of less than the width of the respectivewall from which they extend, are received within pockets 19 along theedge base 14 of an upper poultry crate. Tab 58, 61 is dimensioned to bereceived so there is little or no gap between the structure of tab 58extending into pocket 19. In this way, there is little or no shifting ofcrates in one row with respect to crates in another row.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 and 6 in which a pallet constructed oflayers in which a top layer is formed of a different dimension and cratethan the bottom layer. As shown schematically in FIG. 5, one suchexample is a layer of four meat crates stacked upon a layer of fivepoultry crates. In other words, N crates of one layer support M cratesof another layer in this preferred, non-limiting instance, M=N−1.

A layer 204 of meat containers 80 a-80 d, shown in phantom, each meatcrate generally indicated as 80 in this particular nonlimiting example,like numerals are utilized to indicate like structure. Each meat crate80 having a first end wall 82 and an opposed end wall 84, and opposedside walls 86, 88 extending from a base 90. The first meat crate 80 hasone side wall adjacent a side wall 86 or 88 of a second meat crate 80 band its end wall 82 or 84 adjacent an end wall 82 or 84 of a third crate80 c. Similarly, a fourth meat crate 80 d is disposed so as to have anend wall 82 or 84 adjacent end wall 84 of second meat crate 80 b and aside wall 86 or 88 adjacent side wall 86 or 88 of third meat crate 80 c.The footprint, or outer perimeter of row 104, substantially equals insize and shape the outer perimeter, or footprint, of row 106.

It should be noted that as known in the art, meat crates 80 haveindustry dictated dimensions and a distinct pattern extending from base90. As a result, an accumulated pattern extends from a layer of crates80 as exhibited by bases 90 of layer 24. It is a distinct pattern,generally indicated as 300. As a result of the size of each poultrycrate 10, including the novel wall thickness as discussed above, fivepoultry crates 10 exhibit substantially the same footprint as four meatcrates 80 when oriented as shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, tabs 58, 61 areoriented in respective side walls and end walls such that they arereceived within openings 302 of pattern 300 to engage the structureforming pattern 300.

Each meat crate 80 is formed with a base 90, which is formed with anundercut rim 92 extending about an outer edge of base 90. As seen inFIGS. 6 and 7, tabs 61 of crates 10 c, 10 d, and 10 e are received underrim under cut 92 as are tabs 58 of crates 10 a, 10 b which are on theside walls which form the outer walls of layer 202. In this way, the endwalls of certain poultry crates and side walls of other poultry crates10 act to secure the meat crates 80 as tabs 58, 61 engage undercut 92 oropenings 302 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

As can be seen, by providing a collapsible poultry crate having internaldimensions consistent with industry poultry crate standards, and anexterior dimension enabling the crates to be palletized to exhibit afootprint capable of supporting a layer of meat crates thereon, itbecomes possible to mix and match crates at a distribution center withina single pallet. Furthermore, by providing tabs on an upper surface ofeach wall, the tabs having a width less than the width of the wall, itbecomes possible to distribute the tabs in a manner that engages a rowof crates supported by a lower row of poultry crates. Lastly, byproviding ribs along the height of the at least the side walls, a loadsupporting structure provides the integrity for the poultry crate for alayer of poultry crates to form a layer within a pallet supportingeither like poultry crates or a different sized crate such as a meatcrate.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out, novel featuresof the present invention as applied to the preferred embodimentsthereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutionsand changes in the form of details of the disclosed invention may bemade by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limitedonly as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. There alsois to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover allthe generic and specific features of the invention herein described andall statements of the scope of the invention, which as a matter oflanguage might be said to fall therebetween. In particular, thisinvention should not be construed as being limited to the use of thespecific structures, materials, or methods as disclosed herein.

1. A collapsible poultry crate comprising: a base defining a peripheraledge; a plurality of side walls, each side wall being mounted on thebase along a respective portion of the peripheral edge for pivotingmovement relative to the base each side wall pivoting between a closedposition and an open position; each side wall having a respective topsurface, two or more tabs extending from a respective top surface of theside walls; and a plurality of end walls, each end wall being mounted onthe base along a respective portion of the peripheral edge for pivotingmovement relative to the base; the base having a width and a length suchthat N poultry crates arranged in a predetermined pattern exhibit afootprint substantially the same as the footprint of M meat cratesdisposed in a predetermined pattern, each meat crate having a differentfootprint than each poultry crate.
 2. The collapsible poultry crate ofclaim 1, wherein M=N−1.
 3. The collapsible poultry crate of claim 1,having a base, wherein the base has a first edge and a second edgeopposed from the first edge and further comprising at least a firstpocket formed along the first edge and a second pocket formed in thesecond edge.
 4. The collapsible poultry crate of claim 1, each sidewallhaving a respective corner, and a first rib structure extending along aheight of the respective sidewall substantially at the corner.
 5. Thecollapsible poultry crate of claim 3, wherein each sidewall has alength, and a respective second rib structure extending along a heightof the respective sidewalls, the second rib structure disposed at aposition spaced about one third of the length of the sidewall from thecorner of the sidewall.
 6. The collapsible poultry crate of claim 5,wherein at least one of the two or more tabs extends from the topsurface of the sidewall at a position disposed along the length of thesidewall between the first rib and the second rib structure.
 7. Thecollapsible poultry crate of claim 2, wherein the first rib structureincludes a first longitudinal rib and a second longitudinal rib spacedfrom the first longitudinal rib, each of the first longitudinal rib andsecond longitudinal rib extending along the height of the sidewall, anda plurality of horizontal ribs extending between the first longitudinalrib and the second longitudinal rib.
 8. The collapsible poultry crate ofclaim 1, wherein each tab is tapered.
 9. The collapsible poultry crateof claim 4, wherein each sidewall has a second corner, a third ribstructure extending along a height of the respective sidewallsubstantially at the second corner.
 10. The collapsible poultry crate ofclaim 9, further comprising a support structure extending along thesidewall adjacent the top surface, and at least between the first ribstructure and the third rib structure.
 11. The support structure ofclaim 10, wherein the support structure is one of a lattice, horizontalrib, vertical rib and combination thereof.
 12. A collapsible poultrycrate comprising: a base defining a peripheral edge; a plurality of sidewalls, each side wall being mounted on the base along a respectiveportion of the peripheral edge for pivoting movement relative to thebase each side wall pivoting between a closed position and an openposition; each side wall having a respective top surface, two or moretabs extending from a respective top surface of the side walls; aplurality of end walls, each end wall being mounted on the base along arespective portion of the peripheral edge for pivoting movement relativeto the base, the plurality of side walls and plurality of end wallsdefining an interior space having a length of about 22.85 inches ±0.25inches and a width of about 14.878 inches ±0.25 inches; and wherein eachend wall has a thickness, the thickness of each end wall being about0.525 inches ±0.25 inches, and each side wall has a thickness, thethickness of each side wall being about 0.500 inches ±0.25 inches. 13.The collapsible poultry crate of claim 12, wherein each tab has athickness, the thickness of the tab being less than the thickness of theside wall.
 14. The collapsible poultry crate of claim 12, wherein thebase has a first edge and a second edge opposed from the first edge andfurther comprising at least a first pocket formed along the first edgeand a second pocket formed along the second edge.
 15. The collapsiblepoultry crate of claim 12, wherein each sidewall has a respectivecorner, and a first rib structure extending along a height of therespective sidewall substantially at the corner.
 16. The collapsiblepoultry crate of claim 12, wherein each sidewall has a length, and asecond rib structure extending along a height of the respectivesidewalls, the second rib structure disposed at a position spaced aboutone third of the length of the sidewall from each corner.
 17. Thecollapsible poultry crate of claim 16, wherein at least one of the twoor more tabs extends from the top surface of the sidewall at a positiondisposed along the length of the sidewall between the first ribstructure and the second rib structure.
 18. The collapsible poultrycrate of claim 15, wherein the first rib structure includes a firstlongitudinal rib and a second longitudinal rib spaced from the firstlongitudinal rib, each of the first longitudinal rib and the secondlongitudinal rib extending along the height of the sidewall, and aplurality of horizontal ribs extending between the first longitudinalrib and the second.
 19. The collapsible poultry crate of claim 12,wherein each tab is tapered.
 20. The collapsible poultry crate of claim12, wherein each sidewall has a respective corner, and a third ribstructure extending along a height of the respective sidewallsubstantially at the second corner.
 21. The collapsible poultry crate ofclaim 20, further comprising a support structure extending along thesidewall adjacent the top surface, and at least between the first ribstructure and the third rib structure.
 22. The support structure ofclaim 21, wherein the support structure is one of a lattice, horizontalrib, vertical rib or combination thereof.
 23. A pallet of crates havinga first layer and a second layer, the first layer comprising: M poultrycrates, each poultry crate having a base defining a peripheral edge, aplurality of side walls, each side wall being mounted on the base, alonga respective portion of the peripheral edge for pivoting movementrelative to the base each side panel pivoting between a closed positionand an open position; a plurality of side walls, each side wall beingpivotally mounted on the bottom panel, each side wall having arespective top surface, two or more tabs extending from a respective topsurface of the end walls; the second layer being formed of N meat crateswhere N is less than M; and the base of the poultry crate having a widthand a length such that M poultry crates arranged in a predeterminedpattern exhibit a footprint substantially the same as the footprint of Nmeat crates disposed in a predetermined pattern.
 24. The pallet of claim23, wherein the base of the poultry crate has a first edge and a secondedge opposed from the first edge and further comprising at least a firstpocket formed along the first edge and a second pocket formed in thesecond edge.
 25. The pallet of claim 23, wherein each sidewalk of thepoultry crate has a respective corner, and a first rib structureextending along a height of the respective sidewall substantially at thecorner.
 26. The pallet of claim 25, wherein each sidewall of the poultrycrate has a length, and a respective second rib structure extendingalong a height of the respective sidewalls, the second rib structuredisposed at a position spaced about one third of the length of thesidewall from the corner of the sidewall.
 27. The pallet of claim 26,wherein at least one of the two or more tabs of the poultry crateextends from the top surface of the sidewall at a position disposedalong the length of the sidewall between the first rib and the secondrib structure.
 28. The pallet of claim 24, wherein the first ribstructure of the poultry crate includes a first longitudinal rib, and asecond longitudinal rib spaced from the first longitudinal rib, each ofthe first longitudinal rib and second longitudinal rib extending alongthe height of the sidewall, and a plurality of horizontal ribs extendingbetween the first longitudinal rib and the second longitudinal rib. 29.The pallet of claim 23, wherein each tab is tapered.
 30. The pallet ofclaim 25, wherein each sidewall of the poultry crate has a secondcorner, a third rib structure extending along a height of the respectivesidewall substantially at the second corner.
 31. The pallet of claim 30,further comprising a support structure extending along the sidewall ofthe poultry crate adjacent the top surface, and at least between thefirst rib structure and the third rib structure.
 32. The pallet of claim31, wherein the support structure is one of a lattice, horizontal rib,vertical rib and combination thereof.